BACKING YOU: Gregg Miele Built His Gym with Real Heart – and Non-Stop Hustle
Name: Gregg Miele
Business: Heart & Hustle Gym
Founded: 2014
Personal trainer Gregg Miele knows what it means to hustle. When the New York-native landed a job as a trainer at a high-profile Manhattan gym, he wasn’t fazed by his four-hour round-trip commute, even when those long days were followed by night classes in science and nutrition at a community college. Gregg says he was “young and hungry” – and determined to build his name as a training pro. His hustle paid off when a renowned musician tapped Gregg as his trainer for his world tour. During that time, Gregg discovered he loved being his own boss and creating intensive, top-notch training and nutrition programs for the musician and his entire crew. But when the tour ended, Gregg returned home to an empty client roster. He moved into his grandmother’s house and considered his options – and his goals.
Once they became clear, Gregg, true to form, began to hustle.
Gregg, how did you go from being clientless in New York to owning a hugely popular gym in LA?
It was a long road. During the world tour, I created a 24-hour system that included physical training, recovery, massage and nutrition. I treated the artists like they were pro athletes.
When the tour ended, I built a new clientele by training people in my home. I’d reached the point where I wanted to use my own tools and coach, communicate and teach in my voice. You can’t do that when you’re working for someone else.
In 2008, I had the opportunity to help open a new gym in California. That’s what got me to LA. It’s a different culture here, more laid back. I wanted to channel some of my East Coast work ethic – back in New York, I’d be training clients at nine o’clock at night. I figured with all the highly successful people out here, they’d respect the fact that we work late and get up at dawn.
How does your “East Coast” attitude influence the way you built Heart & Hustle?
My business partner, Kevin Lilly, is a Philly guy. He and I share a strong work ethic and a belief in sweat equity. We’ve invested every penny of our own 401K money to make Heart & Hustle thrive. I think our clients recognize how much we’ve put our heart, and our hustle, into the business.
We picked the anvil as our logo. It’s one of the oldest tools known to humankind, and it’s made to take a beating and never break. We loved this line from a poem called “Preparedness” by Edwin Markham:
When you’re the anvil, bear –
When you’re the hammer, strike.
That’s the essence of our gym – it’s a place for hardship, grit and strength.
How do you and Kevin divvy up the responsibilities of running and growing a business?
Kevin and I brought our two client books together to start this business. Now, Kevin crunches all the numbers and makes sure Heart & Hustle runs smoothly from a money perspective. He does everything from invoicing to billing to budgeting. Kevin is the one who realized how much we can save by installing a washer and dryer on-site instead of outsourcing our towels to a laundry service. Kevin is pivotal!
I’m the creative guy. I think about the details that bring people in again and again, like the lighting, the temperature, the smell, the music – the whole aesthetic experience. I also spend time looking at other business models in the service industry to see what best practices they’re using. What can we learn from top restaurants, hair salons and tattoo parlors in our highly competitive West Hollywood zip code?
What have you learned from your “competitive analysis” of the neighborhood?
It’s helped us think about building a scalable brand that generates a steady source of revenue. We’re in the process of expanding to a new space and using a “salon” business model. We want to rent our space to other trainers. They can bring in clients, use our top-notch equipment and our amazing bathrooms and then walk out when they’re done.
When we were starting out, I turned forty, opened the gym, got married and had a son, all at once. Time management is always challenging, to say the least. But it’s hard to retire from the service industry. Right now, if we’re not working, there’s no money coming in.
My goal is to be financially safe and sound, so my son doesn’t have to go through the hardships I’ve faced. My son’s picture is the screensaver on my phone. Every day, he’s the motor that pushes me through.
If you were starting over as an entrepreneur, is there anything you’d do differently?
I wish I’d saved more money and started putting it away sooner. I’ve had to use my savings for gym equipment instead of for my son. We did anything and everything we could to get Heart & Hustle up and running. If I’d known more about the finances of starting a business or had someone to consult with, I would have been more conscious of putting money aside for the future.
Here’s another thing I’ve learned from working for myself: It never gets easier. You have to get stronger. We live by this motto at the gym, and it applies to anyone who owns their own business, too. Whether it’s a mental, physical, emotional or spiritual challenge, you can’t bow down. You just work through it.
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